Monday, January 12, 2015

HART
ridership continued to be strong in December with 1.27 million boardings,
an increase of 5.7
percent from last year. Fiscal year to date ridership is 4.1 percent ahead
of the same period last year with HART on track to exceed over 15 million
boardings in FY2015. All this, while gas prices are the lowest in six years!

The most recent ridership report shows total passenger trips for December
reached

1,272,735.
That's 69,006 more
riders choosing HART to get around Hillsborough County in
December 2014 compared to the same month last year.

2014 was a critical year for
HART with record ridership, further recognition of its innovative transit
system and new community partnerships. Ridership gains and system
improvements continue to be fueled by efforts to position HART as a better
way to travel around Hillsborough County.

"Just
as our current passengers are using our service more, we continue to
attract new passengers with service and amenities that are increasingly
relevant and attractive," said HART Chief Executive Officer Katharine
Eagan. "Public transit in Hillsborough County continues to improve,
and I encourage people who haven't been on a bus lately to give it a
try."

Fast
facts:

December
3
saw the greatest daily ridership throughout the month with 58,662
riders picking HART!

14
days
exceeded 50,000 riders.

MetroRapid ridership was 49,584 up 8.3 percent from
December 2013 and up 2.8
percent (149,506) for the year.

Year-to-date
(FY2014 vs. FY2015), bus ridership is up 4.1 percent;
an increase of
155,170 trips compared to the same period last
year.

The
following routes
are our highest percentage gainers so far in FY2015,*
showing that added investment in public transit pays off with more riders:

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

The HART Board of Directors
approved the 2015 slate of officers at its regular monthly meeting held on January 5, 2015.

The Nominating Committee met in December to select a slate of
officers and committee appointments to be voted on by the full Board. On Monday,
the Board confirmed most of the nominating committee's selections, naming Tampa
City Councilman Mike Suarez for a second full term as Chair. During the
interactive voting process of HART Officers, Director Karen Jaroch was
nominated as HART Board Vice Chair and Commissioner Sandra Murman as HART Board Secretary. Both were approved and confirmed by the
HART Board of Directors.

In addition, Chairman
Councilman Suarez created an Ad-Hoc HART Board bylaws committee that would meet
to review HART Rule of Procedures and Committee structure and schedule.

Also on the agenda, HART Board approved a motion updating the HART
Environmental Policy to ensure full compliance with International Organization for Standardization (IOS) and to
reaffirm the agency's commitment to pollution
prevention.

Possible alignment using Tampa St. and Florida Ave.

During the meeting, Steve
Schukraft, AICP, of HDR Inc., offered a presentation of results from the analysis of an
extension of the Streetcar system via various corridors including the Marion
Transitway to the Marion Transit Center, as well as scenarios for fleet upgrades.
The study explores the potential benefits of creating a modern streetcar
extension through the heart of downtown Tampa to the Marion Transit Center.
After the presentation several HART Board of Directors discussed HART taking a
greater leadership role in the streetcar expansion.

In other matters, the HART Board
approved the final Chief Executive Officer's employment agreement.